


Second Chances

by chersbrat



Category: Cher Lloyd - Fandom, One Direction
Genre: F/M, Gen, One Shot, cher lloyd - Freeform, chiall - Freeform, one direction - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-13
Updated: 2013-03-13
Packaged: 2017-12-05 05:36:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/719465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chersbrat/pseuds/chersbrat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cher and the One Direction boys decide to collaborate on a new single, thus rekindling some old x-factor memories and causing Niall to feel something special for Cher... again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Chances

“ _Why?! Simon, I don't want to. I'm always compared to them and the last thing I want is to put myself in the whole “1D” mix. I'm nothing like them, just let me do my own music, please.”_  Cher pleaded into the phone, endlessly begging to have it her way. Simon had wanted her to do this collaboration for a while now, but she was now sick and tired of One Direction. Every single interview, she was asked about them, fans would ask her to sign their 1D merchandise, she just couldn't escape it all. Just because she was on the same 2010 Tv show as them, didn't mean she had to be tied to them for life. She wished people could get that through their heads, but no. _“Look, they're great people, and great artists, but we don't fit together and this is not a good idea, you should see that by now.”_

“ _Cher, I know you wanna do your own thing, but the fans are gonna love this! C'mon, meet me and the guys at the studio tonight. We're gonna create something fantastic!”_

Cher sighed and gave up her arguing, she hadn't slept for days and felt incredibly weak, she just couldn't find anymore strength or attitude to bother anymore.

“ _Fine. But if we're meeting tonight, I need some damn sleep. See you at 7:00, Si.”_

A big, mischievous smirk was now plastered on Simon's face, he hadn't won an argument against his little brat in ages. He chuckled softly and victoriously hung up the telephone, saying goodbye to the grumpy pop star.

“ _Night, Trouble.”_

And with that, Cher tossed her phone aside and dropped herself onto her hotel bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

**~ Hours later ~**

The boys of One Direction had arrived right on time, each of them taking a seat in the studio, waiting for Cher to show up. They weren't surprised she was a bit late, she hadn't changed a bit since the X Factor days. Same old adorable brat.

The room was buzzing with conversation, though all sound was interrupted when Cher entered. Dark circles outlined her tired eyes and her muscles were visibly weak, hair tied back into an effortless pony tail. She forced a believable smile and greeted everyone politely, even though on the inside, all she wanted was to just go home.

“ _Sorry I'm a wee bit late, I had a little nap before-hand and forgot to tell someone to wake me,”_ she explained, giggling slightly as she turned her head to face Simon. She inched closer to her boss, the lingering silence making her reasonably uncomfortable.

“ _Glad to see ya again, Cher bear!”_  Louis rose from his seat, pulling Cher in for a friendly hug. A chain reaction occurred, resulting in a big group hug full of laughs and smiles. Cher felt very welcome and cheerful, but was still agains recording this song. It didn't even really fit her style, it was a classic love song. For now, she dealt with recording it, but she would definitely shoot someone if she had to have it on her next album.

The former X Factor finalists eventually departed from the big embrace, allowing Simon to introduce the song they were to perform. Cher shifted her focus from Simon, to the 1D boys. She couldn't help but over hear Niall's and Zayn's whispering.

“ _Wow, I hadn't realized how much I missed her till now. I'm glad she agreed to this,”_  Cher heard a quiet voice with a heavy irish accent speak, obviously talking about her. She continued listening to the boys' conversation, holding a steady poker face.

“ _Yeah, I'm glad too. She's great. Keep it down now, Niall. We gotta focus on this record, listen to Simon.”_

“ _Zayn... I can't concentrate though,”_ Niall complained, keeping his voice low.

“ _Ugh, Niall! Why not? This is super important, you know that.What could possibly be distracting you from something like this?”_

“ _Cher...”_ Niall made his voice go quieter than ever, being super careful not to let anyone else hear. However, he failed miserably, considering Cher had heard every word.

Cher tried to keep her blushing under control, she tried to pretend she was listening to Simon, she tried to act like she was oblivious to the whispers behind her back. She tried and tried, but she was in such a severe state of shock that she attracted unwanted attention. Before she could get her thoughts together, she heard her name again, but this time it wasn't a whisper.

“ _Cher? You alright?”_  Simon's loud voice traveled across the room, startling her and putting her on the spot. Her gaze quickly shifted over to look at him, his eyes narrowing now.

“ _Uh.. yeah. Just got the shivers! Sorry to interrupt,”_  she was surprised everyone in the room had fallen for that bull, but she was satisfied with the result. Everyone went back to discussion, and Cher went back to eavesdropping.

“ _Do you think she heard me?”_  she heard Niall ask his bandmate. Zayn rolled his eyes and ignored him, trying to hear what Simon was saying.

Cher turned her head a bit to the side to get a glimpse of the adorable, irish lad. He was slightly hunched over in his chair, blushing and straightening his lips. He was either camouflaging a smile or a frown, Cher couldn't really tell.

Luckily, she had turned back to face Simon before it was too late. Before she could ask anyone what was going on, she found herself being shoved into a recording session with the 5 boys. She was grateful to have her lines highlighted on the page, but was still a bit nervous to start recording. She had missed just about everything Simon was saying, so she turned to ask Harry, who was stood beside her. Well, he was on her left. Ironically, Niall was on her right.

“ _Pst.. Harry? What was Simon talking about? I was kind of.. distracted,”_

Harry flashed his brilliant dimples and explained he was just talking about the song credit. Who wrote it, who'd be producing it, who is to sing which parts, etc. Cher nodded with relief and skimmed over the lyric page she had resting in front of her on a music stand. The top of the page read, “They Don't Know About Us,” the title of this new song. Cher sighed and studied her parts, Niall however was getting sidetracked again.

“ _Is there something on me?”_ she asked as she caught him staring. She grinned whilst watching his eyes widen, cheeks turning bright red.

“ _What? Oh... Um.. No. I just uh-”_  lucky for him, Niall was cut off by the song introduction, a classical melody played on the piano.

“ _Here we go...”_  Cher thought to herself as Liam prepared to sing the opening verse.

“ _People say, we shouldn't be together, too young, to know about forever,”_  Liam's voice was magnificent, a great start to a great song.

By the time the chorus came around, Cher still hadn't gotten her part. She was just harmonizing softly in the background while the boys did the rest. She flipped through the lyrics to find her spot, then realizing she actually didn't have a single solo in the whole song. She did sing the bridge, but not alone. Niall was gonna be joining her. And soon enough, it was their time to shine. They stared into each other's eyes as they sung, making butterflies swarm in Cher's stomach.  _Why am I feeling this way?_  she wondered, trying not to let her thoughts distract her from her singing.  _It's for my career, not for me. Niall's not for me._  She tried to convince herself nothing was going on, but she knew something was. The loving look in his mesmerizing eyes when he sung those beautiful words with his angelic voice melted her heart, she couldn't resist the feeling.

“ _They don't know what we do best, it's between me and you, our little secret,”_  they sang together like the perfect pair, voices drifting off and allowing Zayn to come in and introduce the chorus. Cher and Niall's part was done, but Cher, for some inexplicable reason, wanted to do it again. She wanted the feeling to last forever. She couldn't bring herself to describe it, but it felt like falling in love. And it felt absolutely perfect to share it with  _him_.

The song came to an end and the music faded off, the track recorded and ready to hear. Obviously, it sounded amazing. Now all they had to do was put it on iTunes and be done, flying off to another country and not seeing each other again for who knows how long. It was all so fast, it seemed unreal.

“ _Great job guys, recorded in one take! Splendid! Feel free to go home now, we'll chat another time. Nice working with you all together again,”_  Simon spoke with a tone full of pride, very pleased with what they had accomplished.  _“And you, Trouble, go get some rest. Thanks for your cooperation tonight.”_  Cher smiled back at him, starting out the door, Niall making sure to catch up to her in the hall.

“ _Hey Cher, wait up!”_  he called, jogging down the hallway before she could exit the building.

“ _Hey Nialler,”_  she greeted him with a cheerful tone, trying desperately to control the craziness going on in her tummy.

“ _Well, I guess we gotta head out now but um.. I can't leave without getting this off my chest. There's something I need to tell ya, Cher bear,”_  Cher blushed uncontrollably when he called her by that adorable pet name. Normally it annoyed her, but the way Niall said it made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It was driving her crazy, but she loved it.

“ _So this is it. Time to tell her how I feel, and how I've felt since day one. Oh god..”_  Niall's thoughts were running wild in his head, his mind was a mess. He was nervous, overwhelmed, afraid, but deep inside, he found courage. And he knew it was time to express his feelings which he's been hiding since 2010. This was his big chance, and possibly his last one.

“ _What is it?”_ Cher asked, connecting their gazes. She stared deeply into Niall's gorgeous, blue eyes and overwhelmed him with a look of pure adoration.

“ _Here goes everything,”_  spoke the voice in his head. He took a deep breath and stepped closer to the shorter girl stood before him, waiting awkwardly for him to say something. And off he went.

“ _Ever since I met you on X Factor, I've always thought you were beautiful. Not thought actually, more like known. You have this amazing personality and attitude, and have always been true to yourself. You're original, and you're perfectly imperfect. It would take far too long to name them all, but there are so many thing about I absolutely love. And I have never stopped thinking about you since the show. The night you got eliminated was like the end of the world, the end of my word. The hug I gave you right before you left the house forever, I was trying so hard not to cry. But I couldn't help it, and I carried on crying all that night. I never took the opportunity to tell you how I felt, but we're here together now, and it feels ... right. I know this isn't the most convenient time to chat, but I need to tell you....”_ he hesitated, staring at Cher's wide eyes and rosey pink complexion. “Since day one to present, and for the rest of my life ahead, my feelings are beyond explanation. All I can say is, I love you.”

Cher covered her face with her trembling hands, tears burning her eyes without falling. She was seeing a whole new side to Niall, the side she had been wanting to see for a long time. She revealed her watery eyes and saw Niall grinning, a single tear sliding slowly down his left cheek. She removed her hands from her face and outstratched both arms, wrapping them around Niall's neck. Niall grasped her waist gently and they stood there hugging untill Harry walked in. Before they pulled away from the cozy embrace, Cher whispered softly into Niall's ear.  _“I love you too, I really do.”_

The pair walked out of the building holding hands, fingers tightly intertwined. The bright smiles on both of their faces seemed to be permanent, and they stayed as close to each other as possible. Niall spent the night at Cher's hotel room, not wanting to leave her side. They cuddled all night, singing little songs, playing cards, watching shows, and just enjoying each other's company while they shared it. At around 3am, the two were dressed in fuzzy pyjamas and all snuggled up in the blankets. Niall rested an arm over Cher's back, claiming to be protecting her from the monster under the bed. Cher giggled and nestled into his chest, gradually drifting off into sweet dreams about the irish cutie by her side. Once Cher was fast asleep, Niall planted a gentle kiss on her forehead and wished her goodnight, beaming down at the perfection lying limp in his grasp. His voice was harmless and quiet, careful not to wake his sleeping beauty.  _“Goodnight my lovely Cher Bear, sweet dreams.”_


End file.
